Patrick Richard and Andrija Stipanovic played major roles in key parts of the game.
Veteran experience helped Cluj seal its eighth win
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3 Lesezeit
U-BT Cluj-Napoca did not shine but it got the job done, beating and sweeping its season series against Slask Wroclaw, 80-76. The main things that helped Cluj get its eighth win of the season were its good start to the game and its good ball movement, which resulted in many easy close-range baskets.
That was especially evident early in the game, with big man Andrija Stipanovic scoring 10 quick points, all around the rim. Cluj made 8 two-point shots in the first quarter, while Slask had only 7 in the entire first half, as the visitors opened a double-digit lead.
Cluj was careful with the ball... at first
Cluj had no turnovers in the first quarter, then dished 12 assists while committing 3 turnovers in the second. Bryce Jones was Cluj's main ball distributor in the first half, as he linked up with big men Stipanovic and Emanuel Cate.
In the second half, however, Cluj failed to keep the same focus. Struggling from long range, Cluj shot 6-for-23 (26.1%) from behind the arc for the night, the hosts' offense slowed down while the resilient hosts kept melting the deficit.
"We relaxed a little in the second half, which shouldn't happen, and it almost cost us the win", Cluj head coach Mihai Silvasan said.
Patrick Richard saw Cluj over the line
However, in the final 5 minutes of the fourth quarter, when Slask first tied the game, then took a slim 67-68 lead, veteran point guard Patrick Richard stepped up. In that span, Richard scored 8 points and dished 3 key assists, including finding Jarell Eddie on an open three-pointer to make it 70-68, before sending a long pass for a game-sealing basket from Stipanovic with 35 seconds to go.
In the end, it was the experience of Richard, who finished with 12 points and 8 assists, as well as clutch baskets from Eddie and Stipanovic, that allowed the hosts to pull out this win.
With it, and its 8-3 record, Cluj remains firmly in the hunt for the top two spots in Group B.